Jan.28,1999 (EWTNews) -
Wednesday night as the Holy Father walked with Vice President Gore along the tarmac at
Lambert International Airport to board "Shepherd I"and return to Rome,
people wept, waved handkerchiefs and cheered "John Paul II, we love you!". With
a wave of his hand and a climb up the airplane steps, John Paul II said goodbye to St.
Louis. It was the end of a brief but very moving and powerful visit by the Pope to St.
Louis.

Before leaving, there was an evening prayer service at the Cathedral Basilica of St.
Louis with religious dignitaries from different faiths, civic leaders and Vice President
Al Gore. For the first time, a rabbi participated in a papal prayer service. "May
this prayer signify our shared commitment to ever greater understanding and cooperation,''
the Pope said. The Cathedral service also provided an opportunity for the Holy Father to
shake outstretched hands, hug children, bless rosaries and people as he walked down the
main aisle.

In his homily during vespers, the Pope said, "Radical changes in world politics
leave America with a heightened responsibility to be for the world an example of a
genuinely free, democratic, just and humane society. America first proclaimed its
independence on the basis of self-evident moral truths." The Holy Father cautioned
the United States, "America will remain a beacon of freedom for the world as long as
it stands by those moral truths which are the very heart of its historical experience. And
so America: If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you
want life, embrace truth - truth revealed by God."

"From salvation history we learn that power is responsibility; it is service, not
privilege," he said. "It's exercise is morally justifiable when it is used for
the good of all, when it is sensitive to the needs of the poor and defenseless."

At the end of the prayer service and before he left the Cathedral, the Holy Father
spoke these parting words, "I would have wished to meet personally each one of the
young people at the Kiel Center, and all the many other people at the Trans World Dome and
here in the Cathedral Basilica, as well as along the routes and at the airport. I will
always remember St. Louis. I will remember all of you. God bless St. Louis! God bless
America!''."

LARGEST INDOOR GATHERING IN US CELEBRATE MASS WITH POPE

Wednesday, January 27, 1999 ( EWTNews) 
As early as 4:00AM, thousands of people began to fill the Trans World Dome to celebrate
Mass with Pope John Paul II. Lines several deep wrapped around the Trans World Dome, home
of the St. Louis Rams, to enter a temporary cathedral for what is believed to be the
largest indoor gathering ever in the United States. More than 100,000 people attended the
only Mass the Holy Father celebrated during his brief visit in the United States.
In the welcoming remarks, Archbishop Justin Regali, Archdiocese of St. Louis, told the
Pontiff, "for over a year the people of St. Louis have been praying for you, your
health, your visit and good weather. Today it looks as is our prayers have been answered.
The anticipation of your coming has been shared by fellow Christians and members of
different faiths and we have been waiting to pray with you, hear your words and be
uplifted by your blessing".
During his homily, the Holy Father encouraged Catholics in America to draw inspiration
from their heritage for "new evangelization so urgently needed at the approach of the
Third Christian Millennium." The Pope explained, "As the new evangelization
unfolds, it must include a special emphasis on the family and renewal of Christian
marriage; call for followers of Christ who are unconditionally pro-life: who will
proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel of life in every situation; and to put an end to
every form of racism."
The Holy Father, in the name of Jesus, appealed to Catholics throughout the United States
or wherever his voice or words may reach, "...especially to those who for one reason
or another are separated from the practice of their faith. On the eve of the Great Jubilee
of the two thousandth anniversary of the Incarnation, Christ is seeking you out and
inviting you back to the community of faith."
"The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 will begin with the opening of the Holy Door in
Saint Peters Basilica in Rome: this is a powerful symbol of the Church - opento
everyone who feels a need for the love and mercy of the Heart of Christ.
Our Christian life can be seen as a great pilgrimage to the house of the Father, which
passes through the door that is Jesus Christ. The key to that door is repentance and
conversion. The strength to pass through that door comes from our faith and hope and love.
For many Catholics, an important part of the journey must be to rediscover the joy of
belonging to the Church, to cherish the Church as the Lord has given her to us, as Mother
and Teacher."